WHY DAN CARES

Dan serves as the Representative for Texas’ 2nd Congressional district. As a 6th generation Texan and Houstonian, Dan has a deep love for his country and state. Dan and his wife Tara understand that there is no higher calling than service-before-self to the American people. While Dan no longer fights on the battlefield, he utilizes the integrity, leadership, vision, and tenacity he gained in the SEAL teams to serve honorably in Congress. Dan stands for common sense policies that ensure our nation’s prosperity and security, represent our Foundational values, and give Texans a reason to once again be proud of their leaders.

DAN WANTS TO HEAR WHAT MATTERS TO YOU

SCHOOLS & EDUCATION

Our youth are our future leaders. I’m a vocal advocate for students in our community and frequently speak to schools and youth groups to encourage them to think big and emphasize the importance of hard work, and having a sense of purpose and vision.

It is crucial that we prepare the next generation for the workforce. We must promote vocational training as a sensible alternative to a college education and allow for Pell Grant flexibility to allow students the option to choose technical education programs.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO TO IMPROVE ON SCHOOLS & EDUCATION?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

BORDER SECURITY

We are currently unable to protect our sovereignty because of the situation at the border. Illegal immigrants are abusing our asylum process. While the President has taken action to improve the conditions at the border, Congress has to reform our laws for there to be a substantial change. Democrats refuse to address the issue at its source and are advocating for open border policies. This is wrong and unfair to legal immigrants, asylum seekers, migrants who are trafficked, and the Customs and Border Protection agents at the border. We must act now.

NATIONAL SECURITY

America is the leader of the free world, and should not back down from this responsibility. We can never forget the atrocities of September 11th, and what occurs when you allow terrorists to operate freely in ungoverned areas. We must continue to take the fight to ISIS. I have been doing that for my entire adult life.

The threat of ISIS is not the only major concern we face on the global stage. We must be wary of Russia, China and North Korea. These countries and their world views pose legitimate threats to America and must be taken seriously.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO TO IMPROVE AMERICA’S BORDER SECURITY?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

ENSURE THAT BORDER CONTROL IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

TAKING A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SECURING THE BORDER, INCLUDING BORDER WALLS WHERE THEY MAKE SENSE, MORE TECHNOLOGY, MORE JUDGES TO PROCESS CASES, AND INCREASED DETENTION BEDS.

RIGHTS & AMENDMENTS

The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution represent the greatest ideas that humankind ever had. It was the moment that we wrote down our inalienable rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – and said that the role of government was simply to protect those rights, not create new ones or change them. The purpose of law is to implement justice, and protect our citizens from injustices committed against them. The purpose of law is NOT to engage in endless redistribution and regulation, with false promises that inevitably leads to the removal of individual freedoms. We must protect these time-tested principles of governance if we are to continue to be the most successful experiment in the history of mankind.

When it comes to defending our rights, I’m adamant about protecting our constitutional right to bear arms. I will always fight for Second Amendment rights. This right must never be infringed upon, but we must do a better job of enforcing current laws, especially background checks, so that guns stay out of the wrong hands. I will never allow the government to prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves.

I’ll also fight to protect our First Amendment. Our country is frighteningly close to violating our Constitution by allowing the left to shout down and shame anyone who disagrees with them. Social media platforms are shutting down conservative opinions. We need to encourage and inspire conservatives to stand up to this leftist bullying, and urge social media companies to develop clear and concise rules that are easy to understand.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO TO ENSURE THAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS ARE NOT INFRINGED?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

DO A BETTER JOB OF ENFORCING CURRENT LAWS, ESPECIALLY BACKGROUND CHECKS, SO THAT GUNS STAY OUT OF THE WRONG HANDS.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

PROTECT THE FREEDOM OF INDIVIDUALS TO ABSTAIN FROM SOMETHING THAT VIOLATES THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

TAKE POLITICAL POWER OUT OF WASHINGTON AND SEND IT BACK TO STATE CAPITALS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

DISASTER & RECOVERY

“Harvey was the most significant tropical cyclone rainfall event in United States history, both in scope and peak rainfall amounts.”
– National Hurricane Center, January 25th, 2018

For Texans in the 2nd District, flooding is frequently on our minds. As your Representative, I’ve been focused on two challenges: (1) providing relief to those affected by Hurricane Harvey, and (2) implementing the long-term solutions that will prevent future flooding.

A year ago, I said my role in Congress will be to work with local entities to exert pressure on the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to take action without delay. And we’ve done just that.

Our Progress

While we still have a long way to go to fully recover from Harvey, we’ve made some real progress.

I’ve worked in a bipartisan fashion to get the Administration to release the much-needed $4 billion in federal disaster relief funding for mitigation projects. These funds are crucial for our community. The next step is for the GLO to develop an action plan that details how funding will be dispersed.

I’ve worked closely with local officials to ensure FEMA approved the Lake Houston Dam Gates project to help manage the flow of water in the San Jacinto watershed. This is an area that suffered some of the worst of Harvey.

Our coalition also convinced the Army Corps of Engineers to not classify Langham Creek as wetlands, so that Harris County Flood Control District could remove the silt to mitigate future flooding.

Another project we’ve had success with is the dredging of the San Jacinto River. It is crucial that it is restored to pre-Harvey conditions. Not only has the Army Corps of Engineers completed much of this, but the Corps extended the project to the confluence of the West Fork of the San Jacinto and Lake Houston. This is a great start, but we cannot forget the East Fork.

In addition to these projects, we’re closely watching the results of two crucial studies: the 216 study led by the Army Corp of Engineers and the San Jacinto Watershed Master Drainage Plan led by the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA), City of Houston, and Montgomery County.

The 216 study is still under way, but once it is completed we will have a strong understanding of the best ways to mitigate flooding in the Addicks and Cypress Creek.

The San Jacinto Watershed study is also still in the works. The goal of the study is to develop a plan to mitigate flooding for the San Jacinto and 27 of its major tributaries.

Additionally, we are working with the Harris County Flood Control District to ensure that the White Oak, Hunting, and Brays Bayou projects are fully reimbursed under the 211 (f) authority. When completed, these bayous will increase conveyance and mitigate flooding in the future.

I’m proud of the success we’ve seen so far, but we are not finished. Flooding continues to be my number one priority.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO TO HELP STATES WITH DISASTER RECOVERY?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

ENACT LEGISLATION THAT PROVIDES WAIVERS FOR PROCEDURAL CONDITIONS CURRENTLY USED BY THE USACE AND THE EPA.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

PROVIDE NEEDED LEADERSHIP TO HELP ALL LOCAL STAKE-HOLDERS (CITY, COUNTY, STATE, SJRA, HCFCD, ACE) COLLABORATE ON PROJECT AND COST MANAGEMENT.

HEALTHCARE

I am focused on health care solutions that lower your costs at the pharmacy counter, increases transparency, and puts YOU in control of your health care decisions, not the federal government.

Democrats in Congress are proposing massive government takeovers of our health care system with proposals like Medicare for All and pharmaceutical price controls. These policies will force you into a one-size-fits-all, government-run health plan, and restrict your access to new innovative cures.

It’s clear our health care system is broken and too expensive, but what is the right answer to fix it? What we need is a free market, competitive, patient-centered health care system. That’s why I’m fighting for bills like the Lower Costs, More Cures Act, and policies like Direct Primary Care, which will improve the patient-doctor-relationship that is missing in our health care system.

I understand all too well the experience of being a patient in socialized medicine, both in the military and the VA. When no one is held accountable, and there’s no competition, quality of care suffers and prices skyrocket. That’s why a single-payer system is not the answer.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO ON HEALTHCARE?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

CONGRESS NEEDS TO MAKE INCREMENTAL CHANGES TO OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM TO MAKE IT A FREE-MARKET, PATIENT-CENTERED SYSTEM.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

CONGRESS NEEDS TO GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE DOCTORS OFFICE.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

TAKE ON OUT-OF-CONTROL DRUG PRICES BY INCREASING COMPETITION, AND BRINGING MORE GENERICS TO MARKET QUICKER.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

CONGRESS NEEDS TO PROTECT ACCESS TO DRUGS WHILE LOWERING THE COSTS OF PHARMACEUTICALS.

JOBS & INNOVATION

Free-market principles have allowed our economy and job market to thrive. We must stand for pro-growth policies, because we cannot lift the poor out of poverty or raise middle class wages without a strong and growing economy. This is common sense economics, and we must show leadership to make it happen.

While pro-growth policies have stimulated this economy, we cannot ignore the necessary reforms to our entitlement programs. We must reform programs like Medicare and Social Security to save them. Our seniors deserve and earned these benefits, let’s ensure they’re around for future generations as well. But the answer isn’t taxing the next generation. The answer is common sense reforms. As our runaway debt continues to grow exponentially, any reforms must be fiscally responsible.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO ON JOBS AND THE ECONOMY?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

STICK TO FREE-MARKET PRINCIPLES AND STAND FOR PRO-GROWTH POLICIES.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

ADDRESS THE GROWING NATIONAL DEBT BY TAKING ON MANDATORY SPENDING, INCLUDING SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE, AND MEDICAID.

Energy & Environment

Congress should be working on policies to safeguard our environment AND our economy. That’s why I’m working on serious solutions to protect American jobs, our economic prosperity, and reduce emissions all at once.

I proposed legislation called the New Energy Frontier as part of the Republican environmental plan. This bill takes carbon capture – which we have pioneered here in Texas – and encourages further innovation so we can market this technology to the world to tackle GLOBAL emissions.

Unlike the Green New Deal, I’m focused on solutions and not just slogans. We do not need a socialist takeover of our entire economy in order to protect the environment. What we need is to encourage American innovators to develop a clean, all-of-the-above energy strategy that will allow us to continue emissions reductions and historic economic growth.

WHAT SHOULD CONGRESS DO ON ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT?

Your perspective on this issue is important to making sure Congress finds solutions that work for all Americans.

CONGRESS NEEDS TO MAKE CLEAN ENERGY PRODUCTION EASIER, NOT HARDER THROUGH BURDENSOME REGULATIONS.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

CONGRESS NEEDS TO ENCOURAGE AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.

Very ImportantSomewhat ImportantNot Important

CONGRESS SHOULD FIND ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS THAT DO NOT RESULT IN JOB LOSS.